Chance
by CountMichael
Summary: Harry gets a letter that forcibly portkeys him towards a school that he gets a scholarship from, rendering his Hogwarts stay null and void.slashfluffangstabuse, indie!Harry, very AU...ok not very ON HIATUS
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Chance  
**By:** Me, Michael! (grin)  
**Genre:** Romance, Angst, Supernatural  
**Pairing:** Harry/?? (not yet :P) Slash though. Possibly polygamous. Don't hold your breath and/or run away.  
**Disclaimer:** I have one. yay.  
**Summary:** Harry gets a letter that forcibly portkeys him towards a school that he gets a scholarship from, rendering his Hogwarts stay null and void. He must now take a chance at Brimax University with new people, friends, and foes. But how will he undertake this new choice of life when his own life's already broken?

-

'°«,«°'°«,«°'°«,«°'°«,«°'°«,«°'°«,«°'°«,«°'°«,«°'°«,«°'°«,«°'°«,«°'°«,«°'°«,«°'°«,«°'°«,«°'°«,«°'°«,«°'°«,«°'°«,«°'°«,«°'°«,«°'°«,«°'°«,«°'°«,«°'°«,«°'°«,«°  
,«°'°«, **G**ustave Liore, Gus for short, was scribbling nonstop in his two-room apartment/office.

He gripped the pen tightly, as if that act would force more ink out and quicken the pace of his work.

"Yes…the woodchip in the lock…Hubert's woodshop skills…his alibi's blunt flaw that today was a Sunday, henceforth eliminating the possibility that Jerome is an eyewitness to his presence in mass, since Jerome was atheist, and was driving his daughter to ballet class…Jerome's and his wife Collete's paid mortgages, signed anonymously…"

He had been working on this case for only three hours when he finally cracked it. He jolted up and held the piece of paper in the air triumphantly, crying out, "I've solved it!" before bolting out of his apartment and its building. The fifteen-year old ran frantically towards Central Police Station, the biggest one, only three blocks from his apartment, ignoring the bloody bird that was badgering him, before coming to a complete halt.

The bird—an owl, he quickly processed—steered itself and landed gracelessly onto his matted chocolate hair, sticking both its feet down, clutching at an envelope, smack onto Gus' gob smacked face.

Crying out his choice curses he made a grab for the crisp white paper before brushing off his head the poor owl, which flopped down onto the side of the road and fluffed its feathers indignantly before flying off.

"An owl! A bloody owl used to send letters for Pete's sake! Why, of all the absurdity…"

He pressed down at the wrinkles with his hands before ripping the flap off and examining the letter. Maybe this was another one of his pompous father's antics.

In the rush of the moment he read the letter too quickly and had to double back to understand it.

**_~ Brimax University of Magicks International ~_**

To Gustave Alphonse C. Liore,

We are happy to inform you that you, who had come of age last November, have been officially accepted at Brimax University of Magicks Intl. with a Second Degree Scholarship.

The first school term of the year will be starting on the 22nd of February, and enclosed in this letter is a list of all the necessities for this stay. All books and equipment are fully provided by the University, along with necessary living arrangements.

Please note that this letter will act as a portkey charmed to take you to the school grounds sixty seconds prior to its reading.

Yours amicably,

The representatives of Brimax University of Magicks Intl.

Vance Alvise O. Brimax VII

Headmaster of Brimax University

Lorelei Elisabeth T. Brimax

Headmistress of Brimax University

Gustave, not quite grasping what the hell he just read, stared in disbelief. Shaking his head wildly he immediately reread the whole letter, taking note of the 'university's' name, the people involved, and all the information present until he stopped at the word 'portkey'.

"Portkey? What in Christ's name is a Por—"

That was the last anyone would have heard him say, if anyone were there, before the letter glowed and Gustave vanished along with it.

-

Leonard Saxon, Leon for short, had successfully broken past a heavily secured bank with only his makeshift lock picks (paper clips, hair clips et cetera) and broom. He didn't need anything else—his magick did the rest.

He tied his sandy long hair up in a wolf-tail because it would impede his mission otherwise. Reaching the main vault, he reached out and placed his open palms onto the titanium slab, feeling the cold surface biting his skin. He took a deep breath and then unleashed his magick, mentally instructing it to dissolve the titanium. After fifteen seconds a hole big enough for a fifteen-year old to squeeze through was made.

Irritatingly, St. Barbara Bank was the only bank in Sweden to have employed magick users. It was the only one Leonard had a problem stealing from, despite his best efforts and bank-heisting prowess.

It was therefore an unusual surprise when Leonard found an open window in the vault.

Stacking a few million dollar gold bars he reached up and hefted himself up to peek outside the window, only to find that it opened into the ocean. He peeked down, noticing the magical trip wires surrounding the window and narrowly avoiding them, and surely, a few jagged rocks jutted out from the sea foam.

Now why hadn't he noticed the treacherous cliff right behind the bank before?

Shaking off the laughter threatening to bubble up he jumped off the gold bars and started shrinking them.

After a dozen or two gold bars have been shrunken to fit his satchel, an alarm sounded.

"Shit," he cursed.

His eyes snapped towards the trip wired window (the only one with protection) and found an owl swooping down towards him. It circled him once before dropping a crisp white envelope.

The titanium vault door had long ago tripled in thickness, the hole completely blocked. He really should be panicking right about now, but something told him that the letter had some importance to it.

He held it in his trembling hands, taking note of the magick it was dripping with, and then ripped the flap off.

He read slowly.

_**~ Brimax University of Magicks International ~**_

To Leonard Michael P. Saxon,

We are happy to inform you that you, who had come of age last April, have been officially accepted at Brimax University of Magicks Intl. with a Third Degree Scholarship.

The first school term of the year will be starting on the 22nd of February, and enclosed in this letter is a list of all the necessities for this stay. All books and equipment are fully provided by the University, along with necessary living arrangements.

Please note that this letter will act as a portkey charmed to take you to the school grounds sixty seconds prior to its reading.

Yours amicably,

The representatives of Brimax University of Magicks Intl.

Vance Alvise O. Brimax VII

Headmaster of Brimax University

Lorelei Elisabeth T. Brimax

Headmistress of Brimax University

"Warning, warning. Vault nine-o-two-one-o will now be filled with neurotoxin thirty six."

Just as he heard the sprays fizzing the letter glowed and Leonard disappeared.

-

Harold James Potter, Harry for short, had had a run-in with one of the tougher Slytherin boys. Despite being a fifth year and a fifteen-year old, his frail body held no resistance against the persistent bullies.

This particular beating was frighteningly similar to his Uncle Vernon's, Harry thought exasperatedly, in terms of the severity of the damage done and the length of time it took. He was hardly surprised he had stayed conscious and aware enough to take note of that, he thought grimly.

And now, he was desperately Scourgify'ing away the trail of blood as he clambered up the staircase towards his bedroom, the one Headmaster Dumbledore gave to him so that the 'Boy-Who-Lived' could have the privacy he deserved.

Oh yes, he deserved it, but the others didn't think so.

He was in the bathroom of the second floor when the Slytherins got to him, calling him 'fake' and 'freak' while landing carefully placed punches and kicks. They didn't need magic for this one—Harry was outnumbered one to seven.

It was because that they—everyone--had expected for the defeater of the Dark Lord and Savior of the Wizarding World to be a stuck up, arrogant Holier-than-thou, and had judged Harry before he was given a chance to show his real personality. The students for one thought that his now gentle, reserved reverie was nothing but an act to win them back, when really Harry had been that way since the Dursleys started with their abuse.

Harry had accepted that. Dumbledore had told him that he was destined to defeat the Dark Lord again and that that was his only purpose in life. He was willing to sacrifice himself, because really he was nothing short of significant to lose. He didn't think he had any purpose besides that, and all of the people around him made sure he remembered it.

Wincing as his bleeding palms turned the doorknob he collected himself and entered the dingy room that was his. Located at the top of Gryffindor tower where all of the Gryffindor wares used to be stored, Harry couldn't have settled for anything else. Its was small, sure, due to fact that it was a room at the very tip of the turret, and yes, it was rank and mouldy when it rained, but comparing this to the cupboard he had at the Dursleys was comparing Heaven to a brothel. He had the privacy and the basic furniture for his living arrangements, the bathroom and also the fantastic view his window opened to. It was all he needed. He was satisfied.

He limped towards the small bed after placing a clean towel over it as to not spread blood on the tidy sheets. He took off his shirt carefully, wincing once again as pain pierced his right shoulder instantaneously. It had been dislocated. He was grateful towards Madam Pomfrey for teaching him multiple healing charms that could cure even a terminal illness. He bit back a scream as the magic popped the joint back in, but could not contain it a few seconds later when it popped out again. Tears streaming he said the incantation again, and thankfully it stayed in place long enough for him to secure it in place with magical braces.

He then stripped to his boxers and ran his hand down the length of his painfully thin body. No sooner than his hand passed over each wound did they disappear, leaving faint scars in its place. Harry didn't bother placing Glamours because he was used to the torment. He was getting looks of disgust already, anyway. Also, he had quite enough scars that he wasn't capable of hiding them, because a wizard's body couldn't take being Glamour'ed fully.

Sighing wearily he crawled under the covers and stared at the conic ceiling stoically. This day just got worse by the minute.

Snape had passed being verbal and was now physical. He employed the use of a teaching stick these days and was not hesitant to punish Harry. He had been late because someone got into his rooms and had stolen his Potions book. He found it thirty minutes later in the fish fountain on the third floor near the Charms classroom. When he entered Potions class he got twenty five points off Gryffindor, and an additional twenty five points for the wet Potions book.

Draco Malfoy had sabotaged his potion. That was the excuse Snape quickly disregarded. Harry got detention for it.

After that incident Harry had walked towards the Great Hall for lunch and sat in his usual seat—the one at the very end where no one sat.

He quite liked the peace the Great Hall offered during lunch, because he gets the satisfaction of filling his stomach up, and no one would dare hurt him for there are a hundred-too-many witnesses. A lot of people spared him glances, but only to whisper to their seat mates lies and vulgarities. Harry was used to it by now.

He doesn't bother looking back at them, eating quickly and leaving immediately. It was because of this reason he didn't see worried, dreamy eyes from across the hall and twin pairs of confused eyes from his own table.

Charms and Transfigurations class went on the same—he would sit at the back of the class and participate only when called upon. In here the looks people gave him were more slicing. He didn't mind them. He'd seen a lot worse in his dreams.

It was when he was relieving himself that night at the second floor after Transfigurations when the culprits who stole his Potions book cornered him.

Now, thinking about it, Harry was very tired, but he fought to keep himself awake because he didn't want to see his mother getting killed again or Cedric's soul leaving his only friend's body.

Good thing he did, too, because he would have missed the owl that had a letter for him.

-

Fred and George Weasley had had enough. This boy, Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, had been through too much for such a young age, and they could not bare seeing those dead, hollow eyes unresponsive to every horrible thing they been through. It didn't help at all that their brother and sister Ronald and Ginevra had taken it in themselves to lead the whole anti-Potter brigade. They didn't know why they hated Harry. For all they knew Harry was as normal as them. Sure he saved the Wizarding World, but he was only one then, and their siblings motive that Harry was to be controlled was uncalled for. Calling it uncalled for was an understatement, even. Harry didn't even exude any allegation they had against the boy, and yet here they were antagonizing the poor kid.

Fred and George had talked and argued over it multiple times, until they had come to a decision to approach the boy and help. They decided a little visit to his private rooms tonight might answer some questions and, hopefully, solidify some sort of trust in them in Harry's part.

-

Luna Lovegood kept the unmistakeable pretense of staring into space and looking forlorn for practical and frankly sneaky reasons. Doing so gave people a false sense of security around her, and helped her hide what she truly is. She had managed to pass off staring at Harry Potter as daydreaming that lunch, and that gave her the opportunity to scrutinize the Savior of the Wizarding World. After years of observing she had noticed grimly that Harry Potter's eyes had turned duller and duller each year, and has completely shied away from everyone.

She didn't know why. Okay, she thought, that's not completely true. She had an inkling long ago that the cause was the people generally driving Harry away, but she knew from there on there was something more. She wouldn't know--even though she was in Ravenclaw house she could only figure out so much before approaching Harry herself. So that was what was ni her agenda for tonight--ask the boy himself.

-

"Loony Lovegood. What are you doing here?" the twins asked in unison as they approached the stair to Harry's room.

Luna stared unmoving for a while before nodding. "Same reason you are," she replied offhandedly, before walking past them and up the stairs.

George and Fred looked at the girl's back warily before nodding, too, and following her up.

As they drew near Luna was becoming slightly panicked. She knew the smell of blood. The stairwell positively reeked of it.

She informed the two seventh years of what she smelled, and from there Fred and George took out their wands. They cast the spell and found copious amounts of blood residue all over the stairwell. They shook their heads gravely before continuing on.

Luna stopped abruptly in front of the door, scowling. When the twins reached her she pointed out the doorknob, which had a handprint made from blood. They paled.

George raised a hand and knocked. It broke the slience that hung around them.

No one replied. Fred knocked too. Nothing.

"Harry? Are you in there?" Luna called, and a few seconds later Fred and George called as well.

Light suddenly flashed from the door's crevices, signaling their panic. Luna tried to do the spell of unlocking, but to no avail. George and Fred joined in as well, but the door had too many locking charms to work on. Luna had to pry the wards open with a universal counter so that Fred and George could Apparate the three of them in.

When they got inside, they saw a bloody towel, an open window, and an empty bed.

A note to the readers:

This is just to place things into perspective. The –tave in Gustave is pronounce with a long 'a', as in 'gave' or 'knave'. I know I didn't elaborate much but simply put these three would be the main characters for my OC romance. Brimax in the next chapter! Tell me what you think; suggest some stuff, say hi to me—whatever, just leave reviews! People look at review counts first! And I reply to reviews so woopie-dee!

Chance MiniSeries Volume Uno!

**Gus:** We had such short parts in this! I didn't even get to point a finger at the culprit! You see Hubert could actually _fashion_ a duplicate key out of hardwood and that was how he entered the crimescene--  
**Leon:** Gus, quit yapping and come over here! (Goes to Harry, crying in a corner)  
**Harry:** (Sniffle)  
**Gus:** Harry?  
**Leon:** What's wrong?  
**Harry:** He...he...he dislocated my shoulder (sniff)! (points to Michael)  
**Gus:** (Angry) Why you little...  
**Leon:** Piece of shit! (throws knife)


	2. Chapter 2

**Title:** Chance  
**By:** Me, Michael! (grin)  
**Genre:** Romance, Angst, Supernatural  
**Pairing:** Harry/?? (not yet :P) Slash though. Possibly polygamous. Don't hold your breath and/or run away.  
**Disclaimer:** I have one. yay.  
**Summary:** Harry gets a letter that forcibly portkeys him towards a school that he gets a scholarship from, rendering his Hogwarts stay null and void. He must now take a chance at Brimax University with new people, friends, and foes. But how will he undertake this new choice of life when his own life's already broken?

**You'll need these:**  
_narration, dreams, thoughts, or emphasized words  
_~written speech/words~  
_/Parseltongue/_

-

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,«°'°«, **L**_ionhearts are humans imbued with the mindset and characteristics of the regal lion. They are fierce, in terms of loyalty and conviction, prudent, and intrepid. No one knew where they came from or at what point in time they came up. Their existence remains to be argued about, for very few who have set eyes on them have written accounts, and even then some of their authenticity are questioned. Old Wizardfolk had once encountered them, based on ancient poems and hymns passed throughout generations by tradition._

_They've been said to greatly differentiate from the more common humanoids on Earth, such as Wolves, Veela, and Vampyr. These vary from aspect to aspect, such as, whereas these aforementioned humanoids align to the night and its grace the Lune, Lionhearts associate themselves with the Sol, in which they greatly take pride of. Another difference is that these creatures are completely blind to the divine Cosmos and all it offers, rendering it blind in that aspect. They do, however, have the unique gift of advanced Empathy, in which case they can feel what others feel, and make them feel what the Lionheart wants them to. They use this to better understand others in their Pryde, and also resolve conflict with others. They are exppresive and passionate about emotions._

_Despite those, they have strikingly similar characteristics with the Wolves, the Children of the Lune. They also have animalistic instincts, and follow rules for dominance. They, like the Ancient Wolves, can change from human to beast by will (unlike the more recent Wolves which cannot, and follows the cycle of the Lune). Their physical attributes are balanced between bulk and slenderness with their physical growth, including hair and nails, heightened. They have enhanced dexterity and senses--high-perforance eyes, noses and ears._

_From what has been gathered, a Lionheart cannot reproduce, but rather passes on the gift to another. It is the only way a Lionheart is able to lose its life. That is the reason why many Prydes, groups of humans a Lionheart considers family, do not allow anyone else entrance--because Lionhearts, when establishing Prydes, bond with blood, and therefore only accept those of the same bloodline into their Pryde. A single Pryde has all its member's ancestors in the same Pryde at some point in time._

_It has also been said that a Lionheart is born under a Fixed sign of the Twelve, and also feels a stronger pull to form Prydes towards people born under Fixed Zodiacks. They are almost never sons of Leo, for it is the hero that they choose whose sign it belongs to; in this case, they are either Taurine, Scorpious or Aquarian._

_In many tales Muggle and Magical, Lionhearts were told to be loyal companions to Saviors, not as subordinates but rather equals, aiding them with their mission and offering their utter devotion. Word has been whispered around that prominent individuals in history have acquired a Lionheart's companionship. One of these stories included a particularly historical group, the Knights of the Round Table, a Pryde in itself, with an unnamed Lionheart offering companionship to none other than King Arthur himself of the Muggle myths._

_Not an unheard of story, but not proven either. Another is the tale of Arthur's descendant, Godric Gryffindor of Magical history, and his own Pryde, containing the same blood in it as those many years ago._

_Many have sought their companionship, both worthy and tainted. The only thing was, all of them hadn't the intuition to tell that a Lionheart chooses its companion, not the other way around._

Harry woke up on a round bed, in an empty room. Next to that bed was a hooded figure of a person, facing away from a small window, the only light source in the room. The person's face was obscured because of that. Harry for that matter couldn't tell whether the person was a woman or man.

He couldn't really tell anything at the moment--only that the person was holding a wand, glowing eerily dark blue at the tip.

"W-who am I?"

The person shifted weight from a foot to the other, and then spoke in a soft, masculine voice.

"You are Harry. Harry Potter."

"Harry Potter..." he repeated, in a trance-like tone.

_'Boy! Get your lazy arse down here this instant!'_

_'You are the only one able to defeat the Dak Lord, m'boy.'_

_'A willing sacrifice...'_

"You won't ask anything else. You'll remember who and what you are as a person, but not to anyone else's eyes, how you act and think, how you see the world, and how you respond to it. You won't remember anything else."

"I won't remember... anything else..." Harry's eyes started to grow duller.

_'What's wrong? Does the orphaned Boy-Who-Wouldn't-Die miss his tramp of a mudblood mother?'_

_'You defiant bastard! You'll never amount to anything in this class--just like your arrogrant miscreant of a father!'_

"Apart from that, you remember only one thing--that you are starting your studies here in Brimax University. You won't need to remember anything."

"I don't... need them..."

_'Shame that the Boy-Who-Lived gets Sorted in our house, don't ya' think? 'Wonder who'd he get killed this time?'_

_'It's because of you my mum and dad are insane and in St. Mungo's!'_

_'Filth!'_

_'Lowlife!'_

_'Scum!'_

_'You should have died along with him that night!'_

Harry's forced his eyes shut, and then nodded. His mind went completely blank of anything unecessary for his stay after that and stood dazedly as the person guided him towards a door.

-

"You. D'you know any magick?" a tall young man with blonde ponytailed hair and open cobalt blue eyes approached.

"No. I'm willing to learn more than anything though," responded young man seated on the sofa, pushing a hand through his chocolate brown hair. His amber eyes gleamed with vigilance, determined to take on Brimax University. It was his new ambition to understand what Magick is and how it is harnessed. It was a new challenge for him to take on. He'd had his doubts before, but after a few demonstrations from one of the teachers, a thin, stern woman who didn't find the need to introduce herself, he was convinced. He had gone against himself and had not demanded how sparks flew form her stick--a wand, he was told--and started flame sin the fireplace. He would know soon anyway. All of it will be quite a challenge, but Gustave thrived on challenges an had never been one to back down from any test. He had to know everything.

"Do you normally approach people rudely without introducing yourself?" he asked back, irritated and yet amused at the blonde. He smiled at the taller teen and got a grin in response.

"Yes," was his cheeky answer. "The name's Leonard, if you're going to cry about it. You?"

"Gustave," he said flippantly. He tried to smile; it came out strained but somehow sincere to Leon.

Carmen subdued Almira's eager-to-die knight with her bishop, which caused the annoyed girl to flip her dark purple hair. She had specifically placed that knight there to protect his queen from the frontlines, not to get in three chess pieces' line of fire. Carmen let out an amused laugh as Almira huffed, thinking of her next move.

"Gemstones, despite their brittle, inedible nature, can be catalysts for Rune-based reactions relevant to ingested potions such as..." Jun muttered quietly as his eyes trailed along the lines of the book he was reading in rapid succession.

The circular room where they were asked to wait was cozy. It seemed to be a lounge of some sort--or a living room. It was adorned with deep purple curtains, carpets, couches and sofas, emblazoned with intricate golds. Wood was crackling soothingly inside the fireplace, warming up the ten occupants of the room.

Leon sat next to Gustave, thinking. He thought Magick was just that--making things appear and disappear, integrate and disintegrate. At least, that was what Gerard taught him. He never thought beyond that. The thieves that took him in shuffled eyes from cold and murderous to respectful subordination, the same ones they show Gerard whenever he was in the room. He never got used to those eyes, and was glad no one was giving him those looks here in Brimax.

The man was the only person he grew attached to, his teacher and only confidant at the time. He knew Magick like Leon did, and was keen on imparting everything he knows on the then-eight-year old boy. Gerard found Leonard's cheery personality unfit for a criminal, but that doubt didn't prevent him from teaching Magick. Leonard had shocked the whole gang when they ran into the boy in one of the jewelry shops they were robbing, crying silently in a corner. While the others argued that a broken neck would finish the job, Gerard saw in him some potential and approached the boy, who flinched at the looming figure and cried even more. Gerard asked him how he got in the store, and Leonard only replied that he passed through the glass.

He took Leonard with him, the boy quickly getting attached. They taught him everything he knew--how to survive in the streets and steal--and soon every thief Gerard had developed a soft spot for his charm. But it seemed even Gerard's lessons were limited. The teacher used a wand when he had been using nothing all this time. He came to the conclusion that there is much more to be learned about Magicks than he was limited to.

It was overwhelming and thrilling for the both of them who had nothing to come back to, to be given this opportunity for a change in pace.

Leon then felt it, washing over him. Magick so undiluted and free-flowing, ghosting over the room and caressing his skin. He took in a harsh breath, relishing the Magick the air was heavily saturated with. The new students' heads turned an stopped conversing when the door to the right opened, the teacher from before guiding a small teen into the room. The raven-haired young man looked up and Leon's breath caught when ashen green eyes settled on him. The Magick oozing from his very pores made the hair at the back of Leon's neck stand on end.

Noticing the attention he had garnered the teen ducked his head and flushed. The tinges of red in his cheeks assured Gus that the boy was not the living dead. The eyes were dulled and lackluster, and his steely gaze settled on Leon for a second, before turning to the carpet. The raven-haired teen's discomfited expression and reclusive air gave made Gus shudder.

"Now that you're all here, barring one who would arrive later tonight, I think I should introduce everyone." The teacher said methodically.

"I am Eleanor Pavia, and I teach the curriculum on Spell Creation. I will be handling your year, Section E, the first years of Brimax University." Her firm gaze settled on each of her new students, her bearing proud. This year the new students are very interesting.

"As for everyone--the young woman near the fireplace, the curly auburn haired girl, is Emaline Ciccone." She gave a nod to the girl who smiled at everyone and continued with their conversation.

"Those two lovely boys in the loveseat, dark red hair and platinum blonde hair name themselves the Andy's. Andrew Cartwright and Andrew Wainwright, respectively." The two mysterious boys didn't even look up to acknowledge everyone and remained whispering to one another, two pairs of hazel eyes throwing wary looks here and there, their noses up in distaste. Leon instantly didn't like them.

"The young woman sitting reading by the bookshelf is Jun Cloots." The girl peeked from the book she was skimming through, her deep, violet eyes darted from everyone before going back to the text. What she was wearing was too baggy and unladylike.

"On the sofa, with the long sandy hair is Leonard Saxon. Next to him with the dark brown hair is Gustave Liore." They gave the others hesitant smiles. Professor Pavia continued.

"Playing chess behind those boys are the two girls Elizabeth March and Almira Chisholm." They waved form their positions, their chess pieces moving by their own accord. Magick, Gustave thought.

"And right here beside me," she placed a hand affectionately on the messy-haired teen's head, "is Harrison Potter." The young man dipped his head back down again and fidgeted. The red-head Andrew cocked his head to its side and glared at Harry.

Leon's senses were acutely heightened, his magical intuiton aroused by this Harry kid. He could see more strands of loose Magick now--laces of it intricately weaved up and about the room, around torches and under sofas, twisting an looping, thickening and thinning that way. He could tell which ones were ingrained in the school and which were freely moving. He saw a thin crimson band connecting connecting Wainwright's and Cartwright's wrists. Jun's ropey ones curled around her and made contact with the book she was reading. Elizabeth's and Almira's pushed at the chess pieces as they commanded their movements. Emaline's sinewy threads floated around her like leaves in tree branches. Gustave's inert Magick wrapped tightly around him--not weak, but rather dormant. Leon could even see his own golden strings of Magick.

When he looked at Potter, however, he was surprised. The teen's Magick was more veil-like than anything, flowing elegantly like silk curtains to the wind. They had much more volume than the rest of their Magicks had, and it reached every place in the room, covering it. Wisps of it gently tangled with his own Magick, playing with it and inviting it. It made Leon feel warmer towards Harry, despite the unapproachability the boy seemed to exude for himself.

He stared in awe at the clarity of their auras. It had never been like this before. Sure, he could see Gerard's at some extent, when he was aggravated or threatened, but never like this, in a normal circumstance.

Gustave for his part needled through everyone with his eyes. He noted each detail and information he could gather. Jun had close the book she had just perused, only a while ago her eyes darting swiftly form left to right reading it. She was now scanning a thicker, dustier book. The chess pieces Almira and Elizabeth used appeared normal and non-magical. The latter only responded with smiles and nods, when from his seat he could hear Almira's rambling. Emaline was staring at the fire gloomily, her glowing eyes alight yet distant, as if reliving a memory. She had settled on the carpet, crosslegged, and was contemplating. Leonard's eyes had been all over the room already, more on the taciturn Harry than anyone else. The raven-haired boy was like a puppy--or, more like a lion cub--being introduced to a new family, slightly hesistant and yet inwardly Andy's were unusually close--too close for comfort. The smaller, blonde one was cuddled into the other, fiery redhead. It was rare when the two looked at them, and if they ever did, they were guarded and furtive glances.

Not a single data was left untouched. He will need them for later, after all, when he has made everyone's acquaintance.

Professor Pavia's commanding voice broke everyone's stupor. "Of course, seeing as how it is around the winter solstice, we only have over a month before term starts, a week before the Chinese New Year. Until then you will be doing the following things. I will escort all of you to your rooms in Brimax and take you on a tour of the grounds and the facilities the school has to offer. You will need clothing and other non-academic related miscellaneous, so I will also take you to the only Wizarding town nearby, ."

Each of you had been accepted to this school for varying reasons, reasons which I, along with Headmistress Lorelei and Headmaster Vance will enlighten you with privately. Along with those sessions we will also run you through the possible courses and electives you are allowed to take based on your Magick signatures and unique abilities. Through this process we will know which student we will send to which class. In this school, there are six years of studies to be done. Your year is marked a letter depending on how long you have been residing in Brimax. First years are Section E, Second years Section D, Third C, Fourth B, Fifth A, and finally the Sixth and final year named Section S. Classes and electives range from my class of Spell Creation to Sound Magick, from Pratical and Battle Magicks to Alchemy and many more. All of the classes available to you will be outline in an orientation two days from now."

Brimax is the most prestigious academy of learning Magicks and its branches, and so has developed its own unique way of teaching. In a class, E to A class students are taught together, despite year differences. That is to say, for example, if you belong in Medicinal Magick class, you will be taught with students from other years, but on different levels. Remember the letter names of year sections apply only to how many years you hae been in Brimax, not how much you have progressed. The only exception is a general homeroom class, where all students of the same year meet."

She paused as her new children interacted. Each year she had a goal set to nurture and care for each of her students without turning motherly, and offer advice and comfort without being a friend. It has been part of the oath she had taken to be a teacher at Brimax, one she was certainly reluctant to uphold. She mentally kicked the Headmaster. The students this year had to be absolutely adorable, especially the Potter one. She could have guessed that the boy was gifted, seeing as he was too small to be fifteen and had to have accelerated a grade or two. Sighing, she put on a genuine smile and gestured for everyone.

"Now, I'll have to notify the Headmaster that you're all here barring one, so I'll be right back. In the meantime, try and get to know each other."

She walked briskly towards the door she came in from, and closed the door with a resounding thump. For a second no one moved as each person stared at each other with mixed emotions, until one brave soul spoke up, making everyone's head snap to her direction.

"Okay, I'm bored!" cried the girl with the purple-ish hair. Almira stood up and took Elizabeth's hand, and pulled her towards a sofa next to the fireplace. Elizabeth complied silently, smiling at everyone.

"I'd really like to get to know all of you, so I propose we play a game to break the ice!" Almira exclaimed happily as Elizabeth nodded beside her. The bigger Andrew scoffed disdainfully and continued gazing at the smaller Andrew's eyes with affection. Emaline looked up from the fire, her interest piqued.

Leon grinned as well and said, "Sure! I was trying to figure out how we'd get to know each other but couldn't--"he rubbed at the back of his head apologetically"--so yeah! Let's play this game of yours! How does it work?" He pointed his infectious grin at Harry as he patted the space next to him in the sofa. The small raven-haired boy ducked his head once more and complied, sitting awkwardly. Leon found Harry's closed expression hard to decipher, but he could clearly see Harry's aura blanketing his own.

"Yes, Miss Chisholm," Gus said, his rich tenor voice reverberating through the room as he leaned back on the couch, "tell us how this game of yours works."

"Tell them Eliza!" Almira said cheerfully, to which Eliza nodded.

She pulled out a wand that looked oddly like a treebranch covered in moss, and started swishing it in the air. Immediately Gus understood.

~Okay, this is how we'll play the game. Each of us will state three things about ourselves--two of which would be lies--and the next person will guess which one is the truth!~

The letters that floated over her head surprised the others. The silent question hung in the air, until Emaline, her curiosity getting the better of him, spoke from her place near the fire.

"You can't speak?" she said tactlessly. Eliza shook her haid patiently, which the others couldn't interpret--was it a 'no, i can't speak' or 'no i can speak'? Seeing their confusion, she chuckled silently, and wrote.

~I could. I just choose not to.~ she said. The others nodded understandingly. Jun, from her place near the shelves, stood and went towards Gus, sitting on the floor by the end of the couch with a book in hand.

"Why?" she asked in a voice too deep to be female's.

Gus gave an uncharacteristic yet strangely strained chuckle. "You're a boy aren't you?"

Collective gasps were heard, and Jun laughed as well. "Yes, I am."

Emaline approached him and got down on her knees, breaching Jun's privacy and placing her hands on his chest. "Wow. Now that I thought about it, you're too flat to be a girl."

Everyone laughed at that as well, except the Andys. The smaller Andrew snapped his gaze from the older one, his blonde hair twisting in a most flippy way and said. "You're cute. I like you."

The bigger Andrew scrutinized Jun and nodded. "Yeah. You look nice. Unlike that twat over there. Small, thin, untidy--have you been in a cupboard all your life or something?"

Harry stiffened as the red-head's steel cold gaze made him feel smaller than he already did. He tried to speak up on his defence but Leon beat him to it.

"Hey! You don't have to be mean like that! Try and be more considerate, will you?" he blurted indignantly. A vein twitched beside the red-head's temple. How dare he speak to him like that?

"Oh, I'm sorry! I'm just taking lessons from little miss _tactless_ over there," he ground out, his anger flaring. Everyone except Emaline knew it was her the redhead was talking about.

"Why you..." Leon started, but Almira's voice rang through, making everyone snap their attention towards her.

"Stop! You two calm down and sit," the two's steam shut off instantly, like they've been slapped on the face. Leon sat down blankly as the blonde Andrew pulled the redhead down meekly.

"She's right. We're all going to have to get along if we're going to spend a year with each other," Gus added, silently noting something odd about Almira. Harry glanced thankfully at Leon and blushed when the sandyhaired boy smiled back. Andrew Cartwright glared once more at Harry before the two Andys closed off from the others entirely.

~I think we should go on with the game without them now, if that's alright~Eliza wrote. The younger Andrew nodded absently.

"Okay, let's begin," Jun said happily, changing the tension in the room. "Almira?"

Almira perked up and smiled at everyone. "Okay, the order will be as follows. I'll go first, then Leon. Emmaline can follow after him and Jun after her. Eliza will go then, followed by Harry, and then GUs, and back to me!" Everyone nodded their acquiescence and Almira began.

"Ok. I am a chess playing champion. I like to eat sweets. I have a college degree in Psyhcology,' she said in what she thought was a challenging way.

Leon thought for a second and then answered. "You like sweets, don't you?"

Almira gae a triumphant laugh before hsaking her head. "No, sorry. I'm afraid it's not that."

Gus shifted in his seat and said quietly. "A college degree, then."

"What? You're absurd. How could she have gotten one? She's just fifteen." Emaline exclaimed incredulously.

"He's right. And I do detest sweets. Makes people to happy," she said melodramatically, feigning anguish before grinning at the tall young man, who smiled back.

"Wow..." Jun muttered, regarding Almira.

~It's your turn, Leon,~ Eliza wrote, her face a picture of solemnity.

Leon shifted in his seat for half a minute before smiling. "I am second-in-command to the most cunning thief in Sweden. I am a comedian in a famous late night show in England. I am an Olympian runner. Which am I?"

Emmaline wrinkled her nose. The first scenario seemed uncharacterstic of Leon. Her imagination let her watch a happy-go-lucky Leonard, walking down the street and suddenly stabbing an old woman, smiles and all, and then stealing the poor civilian's pearls and wallet. No, it wasn't likely. If he were, she would have noticed, she would have acted on it. The young lad with sandy-blonde hair was, to put it simply, fit--his lightly sun-kissed skin was tightened by prominent muscles, yet his physique was lean and wiry. He could be an aspiring runner with those long limbs, but not a fully-accomplished one.

"You make people laugh in a comedy show."

Leon chuckled lightheartedly. "Sorry. That's not it." His cheeky grin grew as the others thought. He took the time to smile at Harry. Who promptly blushed and looked somewhere else.

"Your skin would be a tad bit darker if you ran everyday to train. Besides, I've seen those Olympians. They have humungous thighs of steel," Almira giggled out.

~This is ridiculous. How could you be a thief? You barely look the part and, to be quite honest, you seem too goody-two-shoes to me.~ Eliza wrote in a frustrated scrawl.

"It's easy, then. Just as you pointed out, Almira, his thighs are two itsy-bitsy to be sprinting ovals,--"because of Emaline's harsh words an indignant 'hey!' came from Leon"--so he's a thief. That could just as easily be a facade he places to fool others. That you watch your belongings is all I advise."

Harry thought he agreed with the redhead Andrew for the first time--Emaline _was_ tactless, and she had an apparent hatred for thieves. Harry scooted away from Leon imperceptively. He could be someone dangerous after all, despite his conscience telling him Leon's no harm. His movement didn't go unnoticed though, especially to Leon. From there teen's smile fell to a confused frown. The blonde chose not to speak after that.

"I don't want to play anymore," Emaline said, before standing up and taking her place once more near the fire.

Eliza's worried face or the suddenly tense atmosphere didn't perturb Almira at all. "Guys, come on! Let's at least continue it!" Her cheery expression got to the others quick, and so they continued. The two Andrews and Gus looked at Emaline with pensively before returning to what they were doing.

"You're really not gonna quit on us, are you?" Gus asked, amused.

"Nope," Almira said, a soft pop on the 'p' sound, "I don't know about you guys, but as far as I'm concerned, we're going to be each other's family in this school."

Jun took Almira's smile as cue. He sat up as his lips curled to a smile. He breathed in, and spoke, in a nice voice that was androgynous. He didn't know how Gus could have perceived it.

"I am always truthful. I crossdress. I am a bisexual person."

Everyone gawked at Jun, except maybe for Gus and Almira, who were clutching at their bellies and stifling laughter, and for Eliza, who was already thinking.

Then everyone turned to Harry, who had been silent throughout the whole ice-breaker game. He never felt the need to chime in, and honestly he didn't want to talk to any of them, consumed by fear. He was scared that they might judge, or hate him, like the older Andrew, though he didn't know why he felt like so.

"I-I don't know..." he stuttered out. "Maybe... you crossdress?"

There. He said it, and he waited for the lashing out or the harsh words. How stupid of him! He only had to guess, and he had to pick the most potentially offensive one! Harry brought his knees up to his chest and breathed a slow, grating breath out.

"Why, yes Harry. You're right. Good guess."

He opened his eyes hesitantly, and he was met by a big smile from Jun, coupled by a reassuring pat on the back by Leon and smiles from the others, sans the Andrews and Emaline. Encouraged, his head slowly peeked out from his arms and he gave them what they thought was one of the most dazzling smiles they have ever seen. Redhead Andrew glared slightly when goldenhaired Andrew grinned.

Everyone's head snapped at the sudden opening of the main door. Professor Pavia stalked in with a turmulent face and heavy tread.

"Young ones, you will be announced at the Feast and your skills tried tomorrow. Headmaster Lorelei has asked that you be shown your rooms. If you have noticed, You have arrived nighttime in this school," she said. The middle aged woman gestured for them to follow her, tapping a wall with her wand. At once an outline of an archway appeared, depressions were made in the stony brick, and a stairwell opened.

"This will be the stairs to your rooms. The left rooms of the hall at the top is for the boys occupy and the right for the girls." she explained, placing her hand on Harry and Jun respectively. An uncharacteristic snort from the older Andrew and a giggle from Eliza was heard.

Soon they were up the stairs and had settled in. They were confused as to what other clothes were they going to wear for sleep and for tomorrow, and other material needs, until the professor assured them that they were due for a day in the near town the day after tomorrow.

The two Andrews pointed out that they had signed for a single room, which meant that they'd be sleeping together. This confused Harry; not because of their living arrangements, but because of the question as to how the two had anticipated the school stay. Did that mean that they had actually enrolled in this school?

Fleeting images of a towering castle, trepid but familiar, lanced through his mind, before disappearing and leaving a nasty headache. He lost balance for a second, bumping against Leon's shoulder. The blonde, worried, placed both hands on Harry's shoulders to steady him.

"Whoa there. You alright?"

Harry nodded swiftly and shrugged the hands off.

"I'm fine," he muttered weakly. Leon stood unconvinced, and steadied the wavering boy.

And he wasn't the only one acting odd. Gus seemed to be leaning on the nearest wall and panting, all the while trying to be discreet about it. Leon noticed anyway, because the teen's Magick was flickering a faulty light bulb.

When Professor Pavia gave the go sign after explaining more on the agenda tomorrow, everyone entered their rooms. Jun took the last one in the right side, with Emaline, Eliza and Almira taking the next rooms consecutively. The Andrews took the only room directly across the stairwell. Next to their living space Gustave practically ran into his room, while Harry dashed inside his. Leon then entered his room last, casting one last worried glance at the others before closing the door.

Gustave located the bathroom in his quarters, quickly leaned on the sink for support, and then vomited blood.

-

A/N: This was probably the most terse and untidy and quite basically ugly thing I've ever written. I wanted to clean it, but the want of getting this up and running overtook that. Shame. I also wanted to elaborate on all of the students' personalities, but that had to be postponed. Besides, more characters are going to be introduced in the next chapter anyway so, whatever. And sorry, none of that miniseries. Review please~~


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